Ad Strategy and the Wedding Dress
I’m sorry to have to say it but, yes, this is another wedding blog. This time, however, you’re not hearing it from the nervous groom or the coordinating bridesmaid; I’m the bride. And I’m here to talk about one of the single most important aspects of the wedding. The one thing us bride-to-be’s have been dreaming of since we saw our first Disney movie. (Or maybe it’s just me.) It’s more important than the cake, the venue, the flowers, and even on occasion, the groom. Yes ladies, I am talking about…THE DRESS!
As much as we like to let our significant others feel “included” in our special day, you’ve got to admit that this day is really all about us, the brides. And because of this, we need to stand out as much as possible. Our dress has to be unique like us and show off our individual personality. There are, of course, always rules when purchasing your dress to make the process as smooth and as stress free as possible. Now I know what you’re thinking — how is all of this going to come back around to be a clever metaphor for advertising? Well, your brand’s appearance is just as important as a bride’s on her wedding day, so use your head when creating that incredibly important image.
Knowing where you are getting married and what type of wedding you’re going to have — just like knowing the audience for your advertisement — will easily narrow down your selections. If you’re getting married in an old fashioned Roman Catholic Church, you’re not going to buy a deep V-neck, figure-squeezing, modern day ruffled short skirt wedding dress. But if you’re having a salsa theme, go for it! In the same way that no media buyer would put an ad about lowering your mortgage payment on the Disney-for- Kids website, context is everything!
Asking too many people for advice you on your dress is one of the biggest wedding no-no’s a bride can make. Hearing a multitude of opinions can dilute the bride’s vision and will only leave everyone feeling frustrated. Overanalyzing your approach can bring just as many mixed signals, as well. Remember, you cannot please everyone. If you decide to go the “advisory board” route, you’ll have to be willing to compromise. Ask yourself: is this really about what everybody else wants, or what YOU want? How much are you really going to let others influence your decision? Asking other people’s opinions is always a great idea, but I suggest limiting it to the opinions of a significant few that you trust.
The last, and perhaps most important, piece of advice is to keep your expectations in line with your budget. If you have a $1,000 budget for your wedding dress, don’t go trying on $10,000 beaded couture dresses with layers and layers of fabric. You’ll end up setting the standard too high and will feel disappointed in the end. By the same token, if you are a small company just starting out, don’t feel like you must have fancy website animation and special effects, or ad placements across the country; you’re going to fall short in either cash or quality. And if you absolutely MUST have that, be ready to look for some extra loans and/or call in some favors, because it’s not going to be cheap!
Having the right information on hand when on your search — whether it be for that perfect ad concept, or that perfect dress — will make the whole process that much smoother. Even if you’ve been dreaming of that dress since you were a little girl, a little compromising will always lead you to that perfect one that you’ll be anxious to show off to the rest of the world on your wedding day, and will make you stand out above the rest.